Can't Help Falling in Love
by daisydot227
Summary: AU. Annabeth, a girl who works in a bookstore. Percy, a handsome stranger blown in by the wind. When a storm forces the two to spend time together stuck in the bookstore, chaotic events follow. They just can't help themselves.


**A/N: I love you guys. I am so, so, so terribly sorry that it's been a year and I haven't done writing or even a word but I'm here now. Here's a long one shot to maybe make up for a little of it. Sorry.**

**Daisydot227**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or the characters. All credit goes to Rick Riordan. Wow, it feels good saying that again._

_Wise men say, only fools rush in. But I can't help falling in love with you…_

The wind caused the old wooden shutters to flap mercilessly against the walls. Annabeth rushed around, pulling the shutters closed and sliding the glass shut. Outside the wind howled, and she could see through the window on the door that a storm was definitely on its way. Suddenly the lights flickered and Annabeth held her breath. After a minute the lights were still working and Annabeth let out a sigh of relief.

She loved her job at this tiny bookstore, but sometimes the old building and its rickety wiring got to her. Almost every time there was a storm the lights went out and Annabeth had a thing against the dark. The store itself was tiny, with tall shelves in neat rows. In the back corner a circular stairway led up to an apartment where the owners lived. Annabeth wished the owner was here now. She didn't like being in this storm alone, and the old man was like a father to her, but unfortunately he and his wife went to visit their kids over this Thanksgiving break.

There was a flash of lightning and the room boomed with thunder. Outside the calm broke and the rain started coming down in torrents.

"Shit," Annabeth said, reaching for her raincoat. She remembered that she had left the windows of her car rolled down. Annabeth reached for the door but all of a sudden it swung open and hit her in the face.

"Shit, I'm so sorry," said a male voice, but all Annabeth could focus on was the sharp pain in her face. "Crap, your nose is bleeding. Do you have tissues?"

Annabeth couldn't answer but she kept her fingers gripping the bridge of her nose, and sat down on the ground. She heard the man take off his jacket and he handed it to her, and she used it to cover her nose. After a minute the bleeding started to stop and she the fuzziness left her vision. She could see him clearly now, he had black hair and eyes that reminded her of the ocean. He was wearing a light blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and dark jeans. He was sitting across from her with his hand on her shoulder. She looked down and saw that she had soaked his black windbreaker in her blood.

"I'm sorry," she said, pulling the fabric away from her face and handing out to him, then realizing that he probably didn't want it now. She set it down next to her. "Sorry."

He laughed. "No, I'm sorry. I was rushing about looking for a place to stay inside and your shop looked like it was the only thing still open."

Annabeth stood up and looked out the window. "Looks like you're stuck here now. The rain's gotten heavier."

The man stood up. He looked about 19, which was a year older than her. He came over and looked out the window with her.

"Oh well. It should let up soon, I hope." He turned to smile at her. "My name's Percy, by the way."

"Percy…" Annabeth liked the way it sounded on her lips. "I'm Annabeth."

"Annabeth," he repeated back to her. "Pretty."

"Shit!" Annabeth exclaimed, remembering her car windows. She rushed for the door, but Percy caught her arm and pulled her back.

"There's no way you're going out there," he said. Annabeth scrunched up her face at his words.

"My car's out there. I left the windows down. It's just down the street. If I run-"

"No. I'm missing a dinner, so you can deal with wet seats for a few days. You'd be blown away."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Fine."

She walked over to the counter and sat on her stool and pulled out a book.

"Sorry about your nose, by the way," Percy said, disappearing in to the classics section.

"Sorry about your jacket," Annabeth mumbled.

_Shall I stay? Would it be a sin if I can't help falling in love with you?_

Annabeth tried to concentrate on her book, but she kept looking at Percy sitting against the bookshelf, his face buried in a book.

He was cute, she had to admit. But he probably already had a girlfriend. He was headed to dinner anyways, probably with some hot chick. She didn't want to get her hopes up. Annabeth started reading her book again.

"Do you have a bathroom?" She looked up to see Percy leaning against the counter.

"Upstairs," she said, nodding her head to the circular staircase. He strolled off, leaving his book on the desk.

"Romeo and Juliet," Annabeth muttered under her breath as she read the title. Why was he reading that? Annabeth pulled the book closer and started reading the first act. She had already read the book, but it was so long ago, back when she had started high school.

"Are you spying on my book?" she heard Percy ask. She looked up once more to find him staring at her with an amused expression. She turned bright red.

"No… I… I just… why _Romeo and Juliet?_"

Percy grinned. "It's a classic."

"It's overdone."

"It's the original. It's the bard."

"It's tragic," she countered.

"It's _romantic,_" he disagreed.

"It's disgusting."

Leaned farther over the counter, watching Annabeth's face. "Don't tell me you're one of _those _girls."

"What girls?"

"Oh you know, the ones who act all hard and tough, who say they don't believe in love."

"I believe in love. I just don't believe in people who fall in love after meeting each other one time."

"No love at the first sight?" he asked, cocking his head.

"No." she said curtly.

"You never know," Percy said, strolling back over to where he was sitting. "One day you and I might be married. I'd laugh at you then."

_Like a river flows surely to the sea, Darling so it goes. Some things are meant to be._

"There's a goddamn river in the streets," Percy said, peeling his eyes away from the window. "I'm bored. I've read the synopses of nearly 20 different books. We've got to do something."

"Why don't you try actually reading the books," Annabeth suggesting, not lifting her eyes from the pages of her book.

"Please. I only read classics. I choose to let other people decide which books are good. Then I read those."

"Sounds dreadfully unexciting. Why don't you form your own opinion?"

"Because I'm stupid," Percy said, coming over. "And lazy. And right now, bored. Come on."

"Fine," Annabeth said, slamming her book shut. "What do you want to do?"

"Let's ask each other questions. Only one to two word answers. No questions skipped."

"God, you're such a boy."

"Deal?"

"Deal."

Percy grinned and rubbed his hands together.

"Age?"

"18. Yours?"

"Almost 19. In High School?"

"No," she replied. "College."

"Year?"

"Freshman. You?"

"Ditto. Favorite Shakespeare?" he asked.

"Twelfth Night. How about you?"

"All's Well That Ends Well. Okay, favorite book?"

"The Odyssey. You?"

"Same," Percy smiled. "Relationship?"

Annabeth grit her teeth and through a clenched jaw she said, "Single."

"Aren't you going to ask me a question?"

"I don't want to play anymore," Annabeth answered picking up her book.

"We barely got anywhere. I was going to tell you I was single too."

Annabeth froze while turning the page. "And where would that have gotten us?"

"Nowhere," Percy said with a dark expression. "Absolutely nowhere."

_Take my hand, take my whole life to. For I can't help falling in love with you._

It had been almost twenty minutes since they had stopped asking each other questions. Percy hadn't said a word and was furiously reading over in his corner. Annabeth got up and walked over.

"What are you reading?" she asked him gently. He held up the book, and she didn't recognize the title.

"It's not a classic," he grumbled.

"And how is it?"

"It's shit."

Annabeth turned around and walked back to the counter. The clock above the door read 6:00. They had been stuck there for nearly an hour and a half. The sun was setting and Annabeth could see that the wind was growing stronger.

Annabeth sat down at her counter and picked up her book. She was reading for barely five minutes when the lights flickered and the store plunged in to darkness. Annabeth let out a scream.

"Fuck!" Percy yelled. "What is wrong with you?"

"I… I hate the… dark…" Annabeth said quietly, trying to breathe normally.

"Oh, okay," Percy's voice said. "Hang on, Annabeth. I'm coming."

Thunder clapped and Annabeth knocked over the stool.

"Shit," she breathed. "Hurry, Percy."

"I'm coming," he said, the anger gone from his voice. "I can't see a thing."

Annabeth edged her way around the counter.

"Where are you?" Percy asked, somewhere in front of her, but to the left.

"I'm by the counter. I'm in front of it."

Lightning flashed and she saw Percy feeling his way along the bookshelf towards her. Somewhere in the darkness the old wood of the building creaked and groaned.

"God, it's so creepy. Please hurry. Please," Annabeth called out.

"I'm almost there," Percy said. "Keep your hands out in front of you. Leave the counter and walk towards my voice."

"God no, I am _not _leaving this counter," Annabeth said, gripping the countertop.

"Well keep talking then, like sing a song or some shit. I need to try and find you."

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine," she started, her voice shaking, trying desperately to fill the dark empty room. "You make me happy when the skies are grey-"

The thunder clapped, pulling her in to silence.

"You'll never know dear…" Percy prompted, sounding closer, but still far.

"How much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away…"

There was a thump and Percy swore off to her right.

"You went too far Percy! I'm back this way! You're too far-"Annabeth cried out.

"Calm down, Annabeth. Just focus on the song," he replied.

"The other night dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreampt I held you in my arms, when I awoke dear, I was mistaken, so I hung my head and cried…"

Lighting flashed too quickly to see anything, and thunder boomed again.

"Keep going."

Annabeth started on the chorus again. "You are my sunshine…"

She kept singing and she felt Percy's presence getting closer. She reached her arms out, grabbing at the empty air.

"You make me happy, when the skies are grey…" She reached out more. Further, further.

"You'll never know dear…" He's almost there. She could feel it.

"How much I love you…" Her fingers brushed something, and she recoiled.

"Please don't take my sunshine away." Percy reached back for her hands and pulled her in close.

_Like a river flows surely to the sea, Darling so it goes. Some things are meant to be._

She gripped his chest, breathing heavily, taking in the scent of his cologne.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"It's fine. You have issues."

Annabeth slapped his chest and he laughed.

"It's not funny."

"Okay, okay. Sorry. Where's the electricity box?" Percy asked.

"I don't know."

"Do you have flashlights or candles or something?"

"We have candles, but in a bookstore? Really?"

"You're the one who has the insane fear, not me!"

"Fine, fine!"

Annabeth grabbed his hand and pulled him along with her to where they kept the candles, and she grabbed an armful of them.

"Make sure you grab the lighter," she said. They struggled their way back towards the counter and set up the candles, lighting them one by one until the area around them flickered in a soft light. Annabeth could see Percy's face now and she smiled.

"Thank you," she said again.

"No problem." Now that Annabeth wasn't freaking out Percy had gone back to his cold attitude.

_Take my hand, take my whole life too._

All of a sudden a big gust of wind blew the door open and put out the candles.

"Oh shit," Annabeth said, going back in to panic mode.

"I've got it," Percy said, standing abruptly and stalking over to the door. He struggled to shut it and then re-lit the candles.

"You good now?" he asked, picking one up and preparing to walk back over to where he was sitting.

"Yeah," Annabeth said, watching him walk away. "Actually, _no_."

Percy turned around.

"Look, Percy, I don't know what I said or did, but I obviously did something wrong and fuck it, but I'm _sorry."_

"It's fine," he said.

"It's obviously not fine. What did I do?"

"Nothing!" he yelled then, realizing his outburst, quieted down. "Nothing. You didn't do anything wrong. I don't even know why I'm mad. But it's not at you."

"But you are. Mad, I mean. And kind of at me."

"I'm mad at myself."

"For what? Making me bleed?"

"No. Uh… god I'm sorry. Can we just let it go?"

"No." Annabeth put her hands on her hips.

"Uh…" Percy rubbed the back of his neck. His ears were tinged pink. "I think you're cute. And I shouldn't and all. But you're funny and smart, and I thought I could make it through this without coming out looking like a fool, and I thought I was in the clear but then you had to go and get scared, and I got all worried about _you _and I realized something is definitely wrong here. I mean, I barely know you, and I feel the need to protect you? What is wrong with me?"

"Oh," Annabeth said.

Percy let out a rueful laugh. "_Oh_. You are eloquent aren't you?"

"Sorry," Annabeth said defensively. "I've never had someone basically confess their love for me."

"It's not love it's… hormones. Or…"

"Lo-_VE." _Annabeth cooed in a singsong voice.

"Fuck you," Percy said turning away.

"My turn to laugh," Annabeth smiled. "You laugh at my fears, I laugh at your girly feelings."

"I hate you," Percy said, smiling.

"Nope. You love me," Annabeth said, leaning forwards. "You don't even know me."

_For I can't help falling in love with you. For I can't help, falling in love. With. You._

Percy pulled Annabeth towards him and kissed her, hard on the mouth and pulled back and smiled.

"But what about you not believing in love at first sight?"

"Shut up, Percy."

_Fin_


End file.
